Situated in the city of Mangalore, this beautiful temple is the abode of Lord Gokarnatha, another name for Lord Shiva. Compared to the other temples in and around Mangalore this temple was built pretty recently.

This temple was built by a devotee called H. Koragappa in the year 1912. Sri Narayana Guru, the great saint and philosopher who had visited Mangalore in the year 1912, expressed his wish that the Billavas should build a temple for Lord Shiva in the city. Accordingly Koragappa who belonged to the Billava community built the temple at a place which was believed to be the graze land for the horses during the rule of Tipu Sultan. Hence the name Kudre (horse) vali which transformed into kudroli over a period of time.

The temple was later renovated in the year 1990 under the guidance of Soma Sunder, son of H. Koragappa. Sthapadi K. Dakshinamoorthy was the architect who designed and built the present temple in the Chola style of architecture. This transformed the temple into it's present grand and modern looks. The temple was reestablished in the year 1991. The new gopuram is 60 feet in height and very beautiful. A marble statue of Sri Narayana Guru was erected in the entrance of the temple and a crown studded with precious gems was given by the devotees. It is estimated the renovation cost was Rs. 1 crore. The other deities worshipped here are Goddess Annapoorneshwari (another name for Goddess Parvathi, wife of Lord Shiva), Lord Bhairava and Lord Ganesha, son of Shiva and Parvathi.

Daily poojas are held with great respect and honor. People in and around Mangalore visit the temple to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva. During Navarathri the shobhayathra of the navadurgas is celebrated with great pomp and grandeur. Access to this temple is very easy. It's located at about 3 kms from Hampanakatte, the center of Mangalore city. Although many city buses stop near the temple, the quickest mode of transportation is by auto rickshaws or taxis.

Shri.Janardhan Poojary has played a big role in the renovation work of this beautiful Temple. Then Prime Minister Late Shri.Rajeev Gandhi had visited the temple after its renovation. Shri.Jaya C. Suvarna was the chairman of the Renovation Committee of the temple which was transformed into a beautiful temple.

Situated on the banks of river Nethravathi and surrounded by the lush green forests and hills of Malnad, Dharmasthala is known for it's beautiful surroundings and Sri Manjunathaswamy Temple. In Dharmasthala, charity is a way of life, extended to all without discrimination. Sri Dharmasthala which is one of the sacred places in South India and is a famous pilgrim centre. It is situated in the village of Dharmasthala, in Beltangady Taluk of South Kanara district about 75 kms from Mangalore.

Sometime later when Annappa Swamy, the messenger of the angels brought Shivalingam from Kadri in Mangalore, Heggade built a temple of Manjunatha Swamy and installed the Kadri's Shiva Linga there.

Henceforth, several ceremonies were held together for Manjunatha Swamy, Chandranatha Swamy and the angels. Kuduma became Dharmasthala, the place where Dharma is a way of life.Now Dharmasthala is a beautiful city with modern houses, magnificient buildings and tourist bungalows. There are many educational institutions providing basic and higher educations.Even after several years, the Heggade family have continued to serve the place with donations etc. Some of the prominent in the Heggade dynasty are Kumarayya Heggade, Manjayya Heggade (the second), Chandayya Heggade, Rathna Verma Heggade and Virendra Heggade.

Situated on the banks of River Nandini, amidst beautiful surroundings, is the spiritual energy center of South Kanara district. Goddess Durga is the loving and caring mother of the people of South Kanara. Surrounded by lush green fields and beautiful hills, Kateel has become a famous pilgrimage and a tourist center over the years.

Kateel is located 30KMs North of Mangalore. Traveling to Kateel in the winding roads amidst green hills and valleys is a very pleasant and memorable experience. Thousands of devotees visit Kateel daily to seek the blessing of goddess Durga.

There is a story behind this spiritual place. A severe draught hit this place, it did not rain for years. Even Brahmins were forced to eat meat and the people were on the verge of giving up their principles.The great Sage Jabaali was disturbed by this situation. Through his 'Jnana Drishti', Jabaali realized the root cause of all this. He found that Arunasura the 'rakshasa' who escaped from death and fled when Goddess Durga killed Shambasura had increased his life span by following the teachings of his Guru. He had made the people stop all yagas and yajnas as a revenge against the 'devas', and this has resulted in drought and scarcity for years.

Jabaali wanted to put an end to human sufferings and decided to perform a yajna to please the devas. He requested Devendra to permit him to take Kamadhenu for the yajna. Devendra asked Jabali to take Kamadhenu's daughter Nandini instead. Nandini refused to accompany Jabaali to the earth where evil was prominent. After a lot of arguements, Jabali, in his anger, cursed that she be born as a river on earth. Realising the mistake, Nandini prayed for mercy. Relenting, Jabali advised her to pray to Goddess Durga to redeem her from the curse, Nandini appealed to Goddess Durga who appeared to her and informed her that though Nandini would be born as a river in fulfillment of the curse Durga, would be born as Nandini's daughter at the center of the river, and in the process, Nandini would attain purification. On Magha shudda Poornima, Nandini emerged as a river from Kanakagiri. Jabali performed his yajna. The devas were pleased and the earth was once again happy.

Elsewhere Arunasura acquired a boon from Brahma that he would not suffer death from any two legged or four legged being or from any weapon. Brahma also powered him with Gayatri Mantra. After acquiring these powers, Arunasura defeated the devas and conquered heaven. The Devas prayed Goddess Durga for help.One day Goddess appeared in Arunasura's garden as a beautiful woman. Seeing the lady, Arunasura approached her. The beautiful lady reminded him that she had killed Shambasura and from whom Arunasura had escaped death. Arunasura got angry and tries to kill the woman with sword. The Goddess suddenly turned into a stone. Arunasura slashed the stone with the sword, then a vast swarm of bees emerged from the stone and stung him. The bees ( dhumbi) stung him repeatedly till his last breath. Devas led by Jabali performed abhisheka with tender coconut water and requested the Bramarambhika (Queen of the bees) to bless the world. Goddess Durga then appeared in her 'Soumya Roopa' in middle of the river, where present structure of the temple imparts its glory to the world. 'Kati' being the word which means 'center' (midway between the 'Kanakagiri' the place where the river was born, and the end, Pravanje, where the river joins the sea) and 'lla' means area. Thus the place is called 'Kati + lla' Kateel.

Devotees and followers from all over the world come to Kateel every year in huge numbers to participate in Simhamaasa, Navarathri and other holy occasions. Several educational institutions are also run through the temple's trust.The temple's trust also encourages several forms of arts. Notable among them is the Yakshagana dashavathara mela which was started as an offering to the goddess. During dassera, navaratri and other annual celebrations several sacred rituals like, Chandika havana, thula bhaara, veda parayana, hari kathas are performed.

Sri Subramanya temple is situated in a small village of Sullia Taluk in south Kanara in the thickness of the forest bordering the western ghats The pilgrims going to Subrahmanya have to cross the Kumaradhara river. They take bath in this river and then proceed to the temple to have darshan. Here Lord Subramanya is worshipped in the form of a serpent. It is believed that the serpents, who took refuge in Lord Subramanya, got shelter in the caves here.

According to a legend, as a result of the boon conferred upon the demon Tarakasura by Gods, in answer to his penance, he could not be killed by anybody, either men or Gods aged above seven days and therefore being confident that there was no death for him, he began to trouble the whole world. The story goes on to say that he fought single-handed and conquered all the three worlds.

The Rishis also found it difficult to go on with their penance and hence they went to Lord Shiva and requested him to redress their grievances. Luckily enough, it was the seventh day since his son Subrahmanya was born, and through this child aged seven days only, the demon Tarakasura was slain in a hand-to-hand fight, and Sri Subrahmanya permanently made his abode nearby which is called "Adi Subramanya". Near this temple is a Madhwa Math.

The temple Guest-Houses provide accommodation to the pilgrims at Subrahmanya.

Sri Subrahmanya Swamy : The main entrance to the temple lies to the east. The devotees will have to enter courtyard from behind and go before the idol. The sanctuary of Sri Subrahmanya Swamy lies opposite to the main entrance. A Garuda pillar with silver covering towers high between the sanctuary and the newly contructed portico. It is said that the pillar was charmed and errected in order to shield the people from the flames of poison emanating from the breath of Vasuki residing inside. Devotees have to encircle round including this pillar too. Beyond this pillar the outer Mantapa and then the inner Mantapa and later the sanctuary of Sri Subrahmanya meet our eyes. There is a pedesal in the center of sanctuary. On the upper dais stands the idol of !Sri Shanmukha and then the idol of Vasuki and little lower the idol of Maha Shesha. Panchamrith Mahapooja and ‘Utsava’ of these deities take place daily. More details have already been given in the preceding chapters.

Kukkelinga : To the north of the sanctuary there is a cluster of lingas known as ‘Kukkelingas’. Some believe that the lingas got that name simply because people used to worship them together kept in a basket. Now of course they have been installed in the back portion of the sanctuary and are being worshipped there. Some argue that the place owes it’s name "Kukke Pattana" to the Kukke linga and they proceed a step further and say that the epithet "Kukke" in ‘Kukke Subrahmanya Devaru’ owes its origin to the curious custom of worshipping images kept in the basket. Also there is a fanciful contention that Kukke must be the Halegannada form of the Sanskrit word "Kukshi" meaning "cave". As the image was installed by Vasukin in the cave it came to be called as Kukkelinga. Moreover as already been referred we come across the phrase ‘Subramanya Ahipeshwara’ in the Lalithagama. The car festival of Kukkelinga takes place every year on Makara Sankramana. At present many families, worship Kukkelinga as thte titular deity of their families. According to the legendary history, Sri Shanmugaswamy installed Shiva Lingas in three places in order to get rid of the sin resulting from killing Tharakasura. Afterwards many Gods and sages installed many more Lingas and images. In course of time when the place was subjected to the vicissitudes of the ebb and flow of its fortune, people collected these images and Lingas and placed them in the temple. Further particulars of this can be seen in Subrahmanya Mahathmya, the book published by the temple management.

Kollur, 80 kms from Udupi, is one of the most important places of pilgrimage on the west coast attracting pilgrims from all over India. The temple dedicated to the Divine Mother, Sri Mookambika, stands in the valley of the great Kodachadri peak. Inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, there is an ancient jyotirlinga which is divided by a golden line into two unequal parts, the greater representing the three Goddesses, Mahalakshmi, Mahasaraswati and Mahakali and the smaller Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara. The temple dome, including the kalasha, is made up of gold.

According to the legends, Kola Maharshi who was doing penance here, was disturbed by a demon who was also engaged in doing penance to please Lord Shiva, to get a boon from Him. To prevent the demon from fulfilling his evil desire, the Divine Mother made him dumb (mooka) and when the Lord appeared before him, he could not ask for anything. Thereupon he got enraged and soon began troubling Kola Maharshi who prayed to the Divine Mother for deliverance. She appeared and killed the demon. At Kola Maharshi's prayer, the Divine Mother accompanied by all the Gods; stayed there to be perpetually worshipped by the devotees. Later when Sri Adi Shankaracharya visited this temple, he installed a Sri Chakram and consecrated the idol of Sri Mookambika on it. This is the central idol behind the Lingam. On either side of this are idols of Parvati and Saraswati. It is said that Sri Shankara did penance on the peak of the nearby Kodachadri mountain. Here are two temples dedicated to Kalabhairava and Umamaheshwara.

At Sri Mookambika temple, free-food is arranged for the devotees. The temple guest houses and the P W D Inspection Bungalow, besides several private lodges, are available to the pilgrims for stay.

Anegudde means elephant (Aane) hillock (Gudde) and it is the abode of the elephant god, Sri Vinayaka. It is one of the seven places of pilgrimage in the region called 'Parashurama Srishti' which are believed to be created by sage Parashurama. Situated in Kumbhashi, Anegudde is about 100 kms from Mangalore and 9 kms from Kundapur.

It is believed when drought hit this area sage Agasthya came here to perform yagna to please the rain god. The demon Kumbhasura tried to disrupt the yagna by troubling the sages performing the yagna. To rescue the sages Lord Ganesha blessed Bheema, the strongest among the Padavas with a sword, using which Bheema killed the demon and facilitated the completion of the yagna.

The main sanctum sanctorum contains the majestic figure of Vinayaka resplendent in silver Armour, in standing posture. Of the four arms two are "varada hasta" indicating his inclination to grant boons. Two hands point to his feet, as a means to salvation.

Tulabharam, a custom of offering to God valuables in weight equivalent of a person is frequently done in this temple by devotees. Auspicious ceremonies like wedding, naming ceremony etc. are also held here.All around the Srine there are sculptural depictions from the Bhargava Purana. People from far off places come here to take blessings from Lord Vinayaka. Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with great splendor. Lunch is served to devotees as prasadam.

The mystical temple is known for one of the largest “Swayambhoo Linga” to have arisen from the surface of mother earth. Dodikatta which houses 32 dieties including “Kodamanthaya” (the chief diety) and “Koradappu” (the village diety) is a blessed place, about 1 Km away from Bajpe town.

ORIGINS
About 105 years ago, the Dodikatte house witnessed regular pooja’s to Sri Kodamanthaya & its corollary dieties under the family head, the late Shri Ammana Poojary. He was a higly spiritual & pious person performing religious activities in the Kodamanthaya Devasthanam. Folklore has it that when the open space in front of the house was being levelled, blood sprouted out of a stone. Looking at this supernatural incident, Ammana Poojary & the extended family members, immediately offered prayers to the stone. The stone which was at ground level then has miraculously grown steadily over the years to tower at a height of around 61/2 feet.

It is said that in the present Kaliyuga, Lord Shiva is the Guru. Shiva the most revered Hindu God and his consort Parvati lived on Kailash. The miraculous Dodikatta Shivalinga is believed to be the embodiment of Shiva and Parvati and hence it can be called the Kailash of the plains. According to the tale of its origin, it is also believed that Brahma and Vishnu also resided on the same Shivalinga. Thus the mammoth Shivalinga has become a major religious attraction in Dakshina Kannada.

In 1996, the Garbha gudi of the Sri Swayambhoolingeshwara temple was re-done as per the mandate of the priests under the Leadership of Shri. L V Amin – a family member of Late Ammana Poojary. L V Amin is also a long serving & active managing committee member of the Billawar Association, Mumbai.

THE TEMPLE NOWRegular Pooja’s are conducted thrice in a day in the temple & special pooja’s like Rudrabhisheka are conducted periodically. Major Festivals like Mahashivaratri are celebrated with much gaiety & religious activities & the temple witnesses lots of devotees. The kshetra is unique for housing 32 Kuladevatas & the ever-growing Linga which is as it has grown since years with no carving or sculpting. In the interpretations of some priests, the thin vertical dividing line denotes Shiva & Parvati together.

The astonishing Ling attracts devotees from far flung places. Devotees throng the temple & their faith in Umamaheshwar sees through their problems. The blessed pilgrims offer their prayers, year after year and keep visiting the temple to seek blessing of the lord.

THE TEMPLE OF THE FUTURE
Under the able guidance & direction of Shri. L V Amin, the temple will be renovated to accommodate the ever-increasing number of devotees and to make provisions for their stay in the temple premises.

The renovation project is likely to be completed in the coming 3 years at a total cost of Rs.1.5 crore.

Udupi is a divine Srine in the coastal region of Western Ghats. Situated about 60 kms from Mangalore, it is a fairly large and upcoming town that was sanctum of Madhvacharya, the great Sanskrit Philosopher. The famous temple here, has a fascinating idol of Lord Krishna that is richly adorned with jewels. It is the center for education, social and religious activities in the district of South Canara. It is known for the famous Sri Krishna temple. The reasons for its fame are the statue of Sri Krishna installed by the great saint Sri Madhvacharya and the penance and influence of Sri Vaadiraja yathivarenya. Another attraction of this temple is the 'Kanakana Kindi' -a small window through which Krishna is believed to have given darshan to his ardent devotee, Kanakadasa.

There are three temples in Udupi; Chandreshwara, Anantheshwara and Sri Krishna temple. Chandreshwara and Anatheshwara are the most ancient temples of Udupi.

Popular belief is that King RamaBhoja, an ardent follower of Parashurama installed the statue of Anantheshwara. Chandreshwara temple was built in the spot where Chandra (the moon) performed a penance, to get rid of the curse of Daksha Prajapathi. The place where Chandra meditated got to be called as Udupi. (Udu = a star and pa = follower) The usual practice in Udupi is to visit Chandreswara, Anantheshwara temples and then visit Sri Krishna temple. There are many interesting stories behind the installation of statue of Sri Krishna at Udupi

One of the popular story goes like this. The main statue of Sri Krishna at Dwaraka got completely covered by gopichandanam ( holy sandlewood). A sailor from Dwaraka loaded this heavy lump in his boat as ballast, in one of his trips along the west coast. The ship was caught in a terrible storm while sailing in the western coast of Malpe. When the meditating Sri Madhvacharya sensed this by his 'aparoksha' or divine jnana (knowledge), he got the ship safely to the shore by waving the end of his saffron robe and quietening the storm. The pleased captain of the ship offered Sri Madhvacharya anything in the ship in return. Sri Madhvacharya asked for the sandlewood piece containing the statue of Sri Krishna. Later as the story goes, Sri Madhvacharya took it to the lake, purified it and installed it in the matt.

According to the respected mathadeesha, Sri Raghuvarya thirtha the story behind the installation of statue of Sri Krishna goes on like this. Because of the storm, the ship crashed to a rock and sank, the statue also sank along with the other cargo. After a few days when Sri Madhvacharya came to Udupi for spreading his philosophy among the masses, all of a sudden he woke from his meditation one day and traveled to Malpe with his disciples.

As if he had discovered a new light, he took out the statue from the ocean, took it to Udupi and put it into the pond near the matt. Later, on Sankranthi, he removed it from the pond, installed it in the main sanctum of the matt and arranged for the daily worship of the statue. The pond where the statue was bathed came to be known as the famous Madhva sarovar and the sanctum where the statue was installed became famous as the Krishna temple. There are sources telling Sri Madhvacharya installed the statue in the later part of 13th century.

According to the respected mathadeesha, Sri Raghuvarya thirtha the story behind the installation of statue of Sri Krishna goes on like this. Because of the storm, the ship crashed to a rock and sank, the statue also sank along with the other cargo. After a few days when Sri Madhvacharya came to Udupi for spreading his philosophy among the masses, all of a sudden he woke from his meditation one day and traveled to Malpe with his disciples. As if he had discovered a new light, he took out the statue from the ocean, took it to Udupi and put it into the pond near the matt. Later, on Sankranthi, he removed it from the pond, installed it in the main sanctum of the matt and arranged for the daily worship of the statue. The pond where the statue was bathed came to be known as the famous Madhva sarovar and the sanctum where the statue was installed became famous as the Krishna temple. There are sources telling Sri Madhvacharya installed the statue in the later part of 13th century.

In the 16th century, during Sri Vaadiraja 's rule, Kanakadasa, an ardent believer of God, came to Udupi to worship Lord Krishna. He was not allowed inside the temple since he was from a lower caste. Sri Krishna, pleased by the worship of Kanakadasa created a small hole in the back wall of the temple and turned to face the hole so that Kanakadasa could see him. This hole came to be known as KanakanaKindi.The sight of the beautiful MudduKrishna is available to everybody through the Kanakanakindi.

Devotees perform ceremonies in a large scale daily. The offerings start in the early morning at 5 o’ clock and continue throughout the day without any exceptions. Different festivals like Madhvanavami, Ramanavami, Nrisimha jayanthi, Bhagirathi janmadina, Krishna Leelothsava, Ganesha Chathurthi, Anantha Chathurdashi, Subrahmanya shashti, navarathri dasara, Holi, Vasantha Puja, Jagarana seva, Thulasi Pooja, Laksha deepothsava, Dhanu Pooja are celebrated in the temple. Special ceremonies and religious discourses take place on these festivals. Prior to Makara Sankramana ceremonies are conducted with grandeur and pomp for seven days, called as Sapthothsava. On the eighth day lakhs of people watch the magnificent Churnothsava. Once in two years, on the 18th of January, ceremonies are held in grandeur and pomp during the transfer of the Sri Krishna pooja diksha called as Paryayothsava. Tourists from all over the country and abroad come to Udupi to watch Sapthothsava and Paryayothsava. Another major attraction of Udupi is the golden chariot, which was offered to Lord Sri Krishna.

During the 3rd century AD, Moolikapura was ruled by Dharmapala belonging to chandravamsha and kashyapa gotra. Raja Mayura Varma ruled the Kadamba dynasty (A.D 340-369) during this period. King Dharmapala named it Moolikapura as that place was abundant in medicinal plants and herbs. He worshipped goddess Jaladurgaparameshwari as their family deity. From then to now, Mulki (as it came to be called later), became historically famous as the punyakshetra of Bappanadu Sri Durgaparameshwari temple. Called as 'Ulladi' by the Tuluvas, the goddess is worshipped by everyone without racism and casteism. In this temple, the idols of Lord Ganesha and Lord Narasimha are also worshipped. As per tradition, navaratri pooja, moodeavalu, deepotsava, anantachaturdashi, dhanurmasa and a yearly fair for 21 days take place religiously.

The devotion of goddess mari was commenced in Tulunadu during 17th century. Basappa Nayaka, one of the prominent rulers of Keladi royal family built a fort "Mahoragadha" on Kapu seashore in 1743. He also constructed a fort in Mallar to Shelter his military (Dandu). The goddess "Dandinamari" came along the military and settled in Kapu.

British rulers occupied the port after the demise of Tipu Sultan. People started to devote the goddess at a new temple in Pallapadpu.

Goddess marai is regarded as " Kapuda Appe". Kapu houses three mari temples. The temple at pallipadpu is recognized as old Marigudi. Earlieer, people, irrespective of their caste and religion, were worshipping the goddess. But a dispute came between the gowda Saraswath Brahmin families and other devotes regarding the management of the Temple. Finally, the judgment came in favour of the GSBS. So the devote constructed separate temple in 1830. Chief of the Kapu Beedu generously donated land for constructing new marigudi.

In the beginning of the 20th century, another dispute between Beedu Family and Sankappa Sheety of Mallargutthu, resulting construction of third Srine at Kalki near Ulliyaragoli.

Mari PoojaKapu Maripooja is one of the seven rituals of the unilateral Dakshina Kannada district. The other six are - Udupi Paryaya, Bappanadu Dolu, Arasara Kambala, Kavatha Ayana, Dharmastala Deepotsava and Padubidri Dhakkebali.

Maripooja is being offered thrice in a year the suggi Maripooja in the month of March is the most important than the other two Viz at Maripooja Jarde Maripooja.

The process of Mari pooja starts with a ritual "Bete Biduvudu" An ash cucumber is treated as sheep and offered to the goddess. This ritual takes place on the next Tuesday of every Meena, Karkataka and Vrushchika sankramana. A Pooja is offered to the goddess and the first prasadam is handed over to the Havaldar (Kote Serigar). Then the prasadam will be taken to Kotemane, where people assemble near the Basil Plant and worship an ash cucumber.

Then it will be brought to the Marigudi in a proession. The ash cucumber so brought will be placed at Ucchangi Gudi and once again worshipped before taking it to the seashore where it is handed over to a shepherd. The ritual of presenting "Veelya" is followed.

On the following day, a ritual called "Mara Muhurtha" takes place. The Temple has no permanent idol of Goddess Mari. So, Worshipping of "Gadduge" (Platform) is considered as the most sacred one.

A Puppet of goddess is prepared from " Hongaraka" Tree just before every maripooja. Everything used in maripooja should be new. The Decorated puppet will be brought inside the temple in a procession. During Suggi Mari Pooja, The decorated idol is kept on Srine and offered pooja accompanied by fireworks. As the idol being decorated, the Naivedyam (Charva) is cooked at Babbarse (Kitchen). This is followed by Darshane Seve. People involved in "Bete" are entitled to receive the first prasadam. People then bring back the Kushmanda from the sea shore and placed on the Charva before cutting it with a sword on the Charva before cutting it with a sword to symbolise scape. Then the charva is to symbolise scape. then the charva is dissolved into the sea. This ritual is followed by Armane Pooje and acchangi Pooje.

Once again Darshana is performed and people collect "Abhaya Prasada" from the "patri" (representative of the godess) and return home. Finnaly the idol is immersed at a particular place in Kalathur Village.

Manakali Idol

A small idol inside the main Srine of the marigudi is said to be left behind by a witchcraft, who made an unsuccessful attempt to steal the powers of goddess. The temple is open on every Tuesdays. It will also be kept open on all days of Navarathri and during Mari Pooja.

"Pilikola" is also a special ritual at Marigudi, held for five days.

Uchhangi

Ucchangi is the younger sister of goddess Mari. The Srine has no idol. The goddess is worshiped through the symbol of feet’s.

Kapu Konkani Mutt

Kapu also has a temple of Lord Sri Venkataraman, Which is also called as Kapu Sri Konkani Mutt Sri Venkataramana Temple, The 300 year old temple has a unique idol of Lord Hayagreeva, belonging to the 15th century.

Udupi is an important holy pilgrim town in the undivided Dakshina Kannada District in the old Madras province, presently divided as Kasargod District (in Kerala) Dakshina Kannada and Udupi District ( in Karnataka). Udupi is famous for the Lord Krishna Temple established by the famous Dwaitha philosoper Sri Madhwacharya. There are several other temples situated in and arround Udupi.

It is believed that the Padmashali’s in Dakshina Kannada originated from coastal Andhra Pradesh and migrated via Chennai, Kanchi and Madurai areas of Tamilnadu and settled in Dakshina Kannada about five to six centuries back. There are 16 Veerabhadra Temples in Dakshina Kannada spread from Kanhangad in the South to Barkur in the North. The Padmashali’s of the District remain members of one of the 16 Temples of the District.

During the year 2904 Padmashali’s of Udupi and surrounding areas like Bannanje, Shirva, Karandadi, Athradi, Parika, Mattu, Udyavara, Heribettu, Alevoor, built at Temple of their diety Sri Veerabhadra, in Kinnimulky. On the main road, very near to Swagatha Gopuram. The southern entrance to the Udupi Town. During the last 100 years the Kinnimulky Veerabhadra Temple developed as a religious, social and cultural centre of the Padmashali’s living in Udupi and surrounding areas. About 350 householders are the members and worship in Sri Veerabhadra Temple, Kinnimulky as their Kuladevatha.

The main deity worshipped in the temple is Sri Veerabhadra. During the year 1997-1998 the Temple was renovated by the liberal contributions made the members of the temple and Public. Two more idols of Mahaganapathi and Shantadurga were installed during the renovation in 1998 and Temple has now developed as Shiva-Shakthi Kendra in Udupi. In addition to these idols there is a Naga Sannidhi in front of the Temple and Daivasthana of Dharmadevathas by the southern side of the Temple.

A sabha bhavana named Veerabhadra Kalabhavana was built during the year 1980-1987 by the Sabha Nirmana Samithi headed by Dr. S. Vysaraya Shettigar Mundkur, President Shri K. Mahabalesh Padmashali, secretary and Sri B. L. Padmashali treasurer and 15 other members. The Religious functions of the temple and other social and cultural functions are held regularly in the Veerabhadra Kalabhavana, which has a capacity of 500 seats. Every year during Pournami day of Suggi (Meena) month the annual Mahothsava is held for 3 days. In addition special functions/poojas are held on Nagara Panchami, Rugupakarma, Ganesh Chathurthi, Deepavali, Karthika Amavasya and Mahashivarathri. During Navarathri, special poojas are held on all the 9 days with Chandika Parayana and on Durgashtami, Chandika Mahayaga is performed.

Murudeshwar is around 170 km from Mangalore on the National Highway. Murudeshwar is well connected by road and rail. The nearest Airports are Mangalore and Goa. Though a train or bus journey on the western Ghats is truly exhilarating experience. The sea is an intrinsic part of the temple scape at Murudeshwar. The sea on three sides surrounds the temple towering on the small hill called Kanduka Giri. The Murudeshwar temple has a history that dates back to a few centuries. A small temple existed here for generations. But with time the temple disintegrated.

Mr. R N Shetty took up the renovation of the temple on a grand scale making the place the tourist haven that it is today. A large life like statue of Lord Shiva invoking Ganga has been erected on top of the hill. The renovated temple is a blend of the Chalukya and Kadamba style of architecture. During renovation, the entire fishing hamlet got a facelift, not just the temple. Guesthouses are in plenty. The place has the Murudeshwar Resorts that is built on the seashore.

In Tretha Yuga Ravanasura was ruling Lanka. One day when Kaikasa Devi revered mother of Ravansura was performing pooja to the Sand Lingam on the seashore, the Lingam was washed away by the tidal waves of the sea. This incident deeply hurts Kaikasa Devi. Ravanasura was deeply touched by his mother's grief and promised Kaikasa Devi that he will bring the most revered "Atma Linga" from Kailasa for her daily pooja. As promised to his mother Ravanasura starts tapasya (penance) to please Lord Shiva and to get the "Atma Linga" for the daily pooja by his mother. Narada Maharshi on seeing the tapasya (penance) of Ravanasura for getting "Atma Lingam" from Lord Shiva, approaches Lord Vishnu and requests the Lord to prevent Ravanasura from getting the "Atma Linga" from Lord Shiva. Ravanasura who was in search of Lord Shiva comes to know that Lord Shiva along with ParvathiDevi is at Kailasa parvatha. Ravanasura with his enormous bhujabala lifts Kailasaparvatha. Lord Shiva highly pleased with Ravanasura's strength promises to give any boon asked by Ravanasura. As Ravanasura was pondering in his mind about requesting "Atma Linga", he is cheated by the illusion of Suras and Ravanasura instead of asking for the "Atma Linga" asks for Parvathi Devi who had accompanied Shiva. Ravanasura after getting Parvathi Devi as boon from Lord Shiva returns towards Lanka. On the way Narada Maharshi on seeing Parvathi Devi along with Ravanasura apologizes to Parvathi Devi for the mistake committed and signals Parvathi Devi to transform herself as Bhadrakali. Ravanasura on seeing Bhadrakali, prostrates before her and leaves her with Lord Shiva and proceeds in search of the beautiful form of Parvathi Devi in Patala Loka ( Nether World). In Patala Loka (Nether World) Ravanasura sees Mandodari the daughter of Maya (the Chief Architect of Suras) who almost resembles Parvathi Devi and falls in love with her beauty mistaking her as Parvathi Devi and marries her.

After marrying Mandodari Ravanasura brings her to his kingdom Lanka and prays for the blessings of his mother Kaikasa Devi. Kaikasa Devi then explains in detail the mistake committed by Ravanasura. Deeply hurt by his mistake Ravanasura with greater dedication once again starts severe Tapasya (Penance). This time Lord Shiva does not yield easily to the Tapasya (penance) of Ravanasura. Thus to please the Lord Ravanasura removes his intestine and using it as Rudraveena praises Lord Shiva and even going further he offers all his ten heads as offering to Lord Shiva. Deeply moved by the Bhakti of Ravanasura Lord Shiva appears and grants his "Atma Linga" with the condition that the Linga has to be placed only in the place where it has been decided for installation, failing which all the powers of "Atma Linga" will go back to Lord Shiva. Narada Maharshi informs Lord Ganesha about Ravanasura getting the boon of "Atma Linga" from Lord Shiva. Lord Ganesha promises Narada Maharshi that he will see that "Atma Linga" will not become the property of Asuras and assures that he will intelligently bring back "Atma Linga" to Deva Loka (abode of Gods). On his way back to his kingdom Lanka Ravanasura has to perform his evening rituals of giving Arghya to Sun God (Sayam Sandhyavandanam). For performing the rituals he searches for a person to hold the "Atma Linga". On seeing this necessity of Ravanasura Lord Ganesha transforms himself in to a Cowherd and appears before Ravanasura. On seeing the cowherd Ravanasura requests him to hold the "Atma Lingam" till he performs Sandhyavandanam and returns and requests him not to place it on the ground. Lord Ganesha readily agrees but puts a condition that as it is getting dark Ravanasura has to return before he counts three. Taking advantage of the position in which Ravanasura has been placed Lord Ganesha calls Ravanasura and tells him that it is getting late to go home and counts one, two and three and places the "Atma Linga" on the ground inspite of repeated requests and shouting from Ravanasura not to place the "Atma Lingam" on the ground. As the "Atma Linga" was placed on the ground against the instructions from Lord Shiva all the powers of "Atma Lingam" returns back to Lord Shiva. Enraged by this act Ravanasura hits Lord Ganesha in the form of Cowherd on the head and due to this blow a deep pit is formed on the head of Lord Ganesha and Lord Ganesha transforms in to a stone. Deeply moved by the sudden turn of events and as the Linga got stuck in the ground Ravanasura tries to lift the "Atma Linga" from the ground with all his physical strength and fails, but in the act the Linga breaks into five halves and gets scattered at several places. Then Lord Shiva appears and consoles Ravanasura and praises him for his Mathrubhakti.The scattered five pieces of "Atma Linga" then onwards become famous as Sri. Mahabaleshwara, Sri. Sajjeshwara, Sri. Dhareshwara, Sri. Gunavantheshwara and Sri. Murudeshwara.

The temple of Manjunatheshwara on the hills of Kadri is a very beautiful and popular temple in Mangalore. It is said to be built during the 10th or 11th century. It was converted to a complete stone structure during the 14th century. The idol of Lord Manjunathaswamy of the temple is called as oldest of the South Indian Temples. It is believed that Parashurama who was living in Sahyadri, killed the kshathriyas who were cruel and donated the lands to Kashyapa. He prayed to Lord Shiva for a place to live. Lord Shiva assured Parashurama that if he performed a penance at Kadali kshethra, Lord Shiva would reincarnate as Manjunatha for the betterment of the world

As per Shiva's orders Parashurama threw his axe into the sea and created a place for his penance. Yielding to Parashurama's prayers Lord Shiva appeared to him as Manjunatha along with Goddess Parvathi and stayed at Kadri for the betterment of the world. As per the orders of Manjunatha the sapthakoti manthras become the seven theerthas.

In front of the temple, at an height there are a number of water ponds. There's a garden surrounding the ponds. When one walks down from there in front of the temple is a huge lightpole. During karthika maasa, deepothsava is held here. There are statues of Machendranath, Gorakanath, Sringinath, Lokeshwara, ManjuSri and Budha in the temple.

The padmasanastha Lokeshwara statue is very beautiful. Behind the temple of Manjunatha, on to the west is the temple of Goddess Durga. To the Northern side is the temple of Lord Ganesha. Several festivals are celebrated with devotion and joy at Kadri throughout the year. During Kadiruthsava on the bhadrapada shuddha thadige, Ganesha chathurthi, Navarathri, Karthika Maasa and from Deepavali to Paththanaaje special poojas and religious ceremonies are held. Flag hoisting in Makara Sankranthi, nine days of annual fair and Rathothsava, Dhanurmaasa pooja, Shivarathri, Ugadi are meticulously and religiously celebrated. Every Monday Rudrabhisheka is held. In 1988 from April 17th to 23rd BrahmaKalashothsava was held in great pomp and grandeur after a long time. It's a practice to hoist the 40 feet Garuda to the 62 feet tall flagpole during the annual fair. The other places to visit around the temple are Udhbhava Linga, Akshaya pond, the 5 feet tall statue of Thrilokeshwara and Deepasthamba.

The beautiful temple is located at Nityanand Nagar in Dharmastala Village about 67 k.m away from Mangalore. It is 3 k.m away from Shree Kshetra Dharmastala Temple. Located on the banks of Netravati River and surrounded by thick greenery and awesome mountains, this place can be reached by road from Bangalore, Mysore, Hasan and Dharmastala.

The temple was built by the efforts of Sri Atmanand Saraswati Swami, the disciple of Sri Nityanand Swami. Its construction started in the year 1978. Although Sree Ram is the prime diety here the temple contains 27 'garbha gudi's of different deities. The three-storied structure has a big lecture hall where spiritual discourses are given.

Sri Gurudev Ashram is about 3 k.m from here near Devara Gudde. Sri Atmanand Saraswati Swami has been providing free food and education to the underprivileged children since 1980 here.
For the devotees who wish to stay to savor the beauty and serenity of the place, a three storied building with 36 rooms was built in the year 2005.

The eighth century Sri Siddhivinayaka Temple at Hattiyangadi in Kundapur taluk is a historical and well-known pilgrimage centre for Hindus of the coast. Hattiyangadi (Pattinagara) was the capital of Alupa Kings, who ruled the Tulunadu during seventh and eighth centuries. They had close ties with some other Jain cities such as Purigere (Lakshmeeshwara) and Hombuja (Humcha). Later Hoysala and Honnekambala Kings ruled Hattiyangadi, which was also known as Goshtipura, as it hosted a number of intellectual debates.

Hattiangadi, about 8 kms to the the northeast of Kundapur, which is famous for the ancient Siddhi Vinayaka Temple, also houses many other ancient Temples and Jaina Basadis. Gopalakrishna, Lokanatheshwara, Maraladevi, Shankaranarayan, Shivamunishwara, Ekantheshwara and Shaktharabrahma Temples are found here.

Hattiyangadi, which was once a capital of Alupa Kings, is now a small village. But it has still managed to retain its attraction with lush green mountains on one side and the curvaceous Varahi River on the other. On the bank of the river there is a spot called Aramane Adi, which earlier housed a palace. At an elevated spot nearby is the Chandranatha Basadi and behind it is the Jattiraya’s Temple.

It was a sacred place for the meditation of Sri Govindarama Yathivarya (Saint) during 16th century. The Saint blessed his disciple and the then Temple priest Rama Bhatta, who later cultivated a number of poetic works and got the reputation as Kavi (poet) Rama. The saint had also predicted that the Temple would become famous worldwide during next three hundred years. What a true prediction it was! Now, the Temple is attracting a number of devotees from all parts of the world.

Hattiangadi is well known for its Siddivinayaka Temple, which is supposed to have been constructed around the seventh or eighth century. The Lord Ganapathi Temple is situated on the bank of River Varahi. It is the only Temple in India, where the idol of Lord Vinayaka sports a jata-hair. The idol itself is carved of a Saligrama stone and is 2.5 feet high and Vinayaka’s curly hair is left loose at the back. The trunk is bent towards the left.

It is believed that the idol may be in standing posture. The deity’s right hand is situated inside the basement and holds a vessel full of Modakas in its left hand. According to experts, the deity is of Bala Ganesha, which has just two arms and various ornaments are also found on the idol. The statue grows in size every year and this is visible from the fact that it has outgrown the silver casting. The entire Srine is carved from black marble. Since the God is supposed to grant the wishes of the devotees, the title ‘Siddi’ is conferred on Lord Vinayaka.

Sahasra Narikela Ganayaga (a Yaga using 1008 coconuts), Sri Sathya Ganapathi Vratha, Laksha Doorvarchane, Sindhura (kumkum) Archane, and others poojas are offered here for Lord Vinayaka on special occasions such as Sankashtahara Chaturthi, Ganesha Chowthi, Navarathri and on every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday on the request of the devotees. Devotees are offering poojas such as Ashtadravyathmaka Ganahavana and Thrikala Pooja everyday.

The renovated Temple was inaugurated in 1980 by the then Chief Minister of Karnataka Devaraj Arasu. The Temple was once again renovated and was built in granites in 1997. Thirty-two Ganapathi idols as explained in Mudgala Purana were also installed in the Temple premises. A Navagraha Mandir was also added. A concrete tower has been established on Tallur Vandse Highway to welcome the devotees coming to Hattiyangadi Siddhivinayaka Temple. The Temple is running the Central Gurukula English Medium residential school, which is intending to impart quality education.

The management is also developing the Varahi Thapovana (herbal plantation) at a cost of Rs one crore. This also includes Navagraha Vana, Rashivana, Nakshathravana Saptharshivana and Panchayathanavana as explained in Hindu Holy books. Thapovana covers a guesthouse, Guru Kuteera, fountain and other light and sound equipment intending to entertain visitors.

Managing trustee of the Temple Shri Ramachandra Bhat has put great efforts in developing the Temple as a perfect Hindu pilgrimage. The Temple was provided with all basic amenities including an approach road. The devotees coming from far are provided free food at Sri Balchandra Prasada the Temple-dining hall that accommodates 400-500 people at one sitting. On the top floor are the Pravachana Mandir and Sabhagruha. The Temple has well-equipped lodges, choultry, seminar hall, Yaga Shala. Goshala (cowshed), and Kalyana Mantapa for the benefit of the devotees.

The Temple also houses the Siddivinayaka School of ancient scriptures, where students are given free accommodation, food, clothes and education. Various developmental activities are conducted with help of the money received in charity. Various cultural activities are held throughout the year along with state-level Yakshagana Kammata-workshop, study and demonstration of medicinal herbs and shrubs, agricultural and yoga camps etc.

Among the numerous temples and sacred places of India Sri Venkataramana Temple of Mangalore occupies a pride of place. The temple stands majestically in the heart if the city, amidst an atmosphere of divinity. One of the ancient and revered Srines of the coastal region, it attracts devotees from a wide spectrum of the society, who find solace and inspiration in its holy precincts.

The temple has a glorious history of three centuries, being closely associated with Sri Kashi Math Samsthan since inception. In early 17th century, a Srine of Lord Venkataramana was constructed with just a garbha gudi. The images under worship were bronze idols of Srinivasa ensemble. In 1804 Lord Veera Venktesha was installed as the presiding deity. Lord Sri Venkataramana is the predominant deity of the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin Community.

The beautiful idol of Veera Venkatesha is made of panchaloha with a sword hanging from waist. Because of the sword which symbolises valour the deity is known as “Veera Venkatesha”. The deity is flanked by Sridevi and Bhoodevi on both sides at the sanctum sanctorum. Lord Sri Moola Venkataramana, Veera Vittala, Garudavaahana, Sri Gopalkrishna, Sri Hayagriva and Lord Sri Srinivasa are also worshipped. Poojas are also performed to the parivara devathas Sri Mukhyaprana, Sri Ganapathi, Sri Laxmi and Sri Garuda that are installed at the four corners of the temple.

Daily offerings such as Panchamratha, Gangabhisheka, Sahasra Naamarchane, Nandadeepa and Pulakabhisheka are offered to the Lord as per Madhwa tradition, along with the customary trikala poojas. The temple relies on the guidance of H.H. Srimad Sudhindra Thirtha Swamiji, Matadhipathi of Sri Kashi Math Samsthan. The annual car festival which is held with pomp and gaiety is attended by thousands of devotees from far and wide. Other festivals that fall in various months of the Hindu calendar are also celebrated in the temple. During utsavas people offer voluntary services to Lord Sri Venkteshwara as a mark of their devotion.

The temple is surrounded by Brahma Kunda stream. The Brahma Kunda stream flows to north of the temple, enhancing the scenic beauty of the forests and hills around. Devotees have a dip in the stream prior to performing rituals. Those who have taken a vow walk on the fire part of the ritual. The main fair is held from Makara Sankranti in January (14,15,16) till next Sankarati for one month. There is a Sri Chakra Yantra near the temple believed to be installed by Adi Sankaracharya. Yet another temple here is dedicated to Sri Hosi Haiguli and Sri Huli Devaru. The third temple is dedicated to Chikkamma Devaru.

The temple is situated at Kundapur Taluk on the way to Kolluru. It takes about 15-20 minutes by walk from Chittoor.